The Microphone object specifies a listening point for the SpatialAudio CHOP. Multiple microphones can be used by one SpatialAudio CHOP to create stereo or surround sound, with special effects like the doppler effect, volume loss over distance, obstacle interference, atmospheric filtering and positional audio.
To set up a Spatial Audio scene, one or more Sound objects should be used to emit sound. At least one microphone is needed to capture the sound. A SpatialAudio CHOP is needed to render the sound. If any obstacles or filters are used, at least one Acoustic CHOP is needed to design the spectrum filter.
Moving Sound and Microphone objects around will produce variations in pitch and volume, especially if either object is directional. Setting up a directional microphone or sound object is much like setting up a directional light.
Parameters
Transform
Transform Order
The left menu chooses the order in which transforms are applied (for example, scale, then rotate, then translate). This can change the position and orientation of the object, in the same way that going a block and turning east takes you to a different place than turning east and then going a block.
The right menu chooses the order in which to rotate around the X, Y, and Z axes. Certain orders can make character joint transforms easier to use, depending on the character.
Translate
Translation along XYZ axes.
Rotate
Degrees rotation about XYZ axes.
Scale
Non-uniform scaling about XYZ axes.
Pivot
Local origin of the object. See also setting the pivot point .
Uniform Scale
Scale the object uniformly along all three axes.
Modify Pre-Transform
This menu contains options for manipulating the pre-transform values. The pre-transform is an internal transform that is applied prior to the regular transform parameters. This allows you to change the frame of reference for the translate, rotate, scale parameter values below without changing the overall transform.
Clean Transform
This reverts the translate, rotate, scale parameters to their default values while maintaining the same overall transform.
Clean Translates
This sets the translate parameter to (0, 0, 0) while maintaining the same overall transform.
Clean Rotates
This sets the rotate parameter to (0, 0, 0) while maintaining the same overall transform.
Clean Scales
This sets the scale parameter to (1, 1, 1) while maintaining the same overall transform.
Extract Pre-transform
This removes the pre-transform by setting the translate, rotate, and scale parameters in order to maintain the same overall transform. Note that if there were shears in the pre-transform, it can not be completely removed.
Reset Pre-transform
This completely removes the pre-transform without changing any parameters. This will change the overall transform of the object if there are any non-default values in the translate, rotate, and scale parameters.
Keep Position When Parenting
When the object is re-parented, maintain its current world position by changing the object’s transform parameters.
Child Compensation
When the object is being transformed, maintain the current world transforms of its children by changing their transform parameters.
Enable Constraints
Enable Constraints Network on the object.
Constraints
Path to a CHOP Constraints Network. See also creating constraints.
Tip
You can you use the Constraints drop down button to activate one of the Constraints Shelf Tool. If you do so, the first pick session is filled automatically by nodes selected in the parameter panel.
Note
Lookat and Follow Path parameters on object nodes are deprecated in favor of Look At and Follow Path constraints. The parameters are only hidden for now and you can set their visibitily if you do edit the node’s parameter interface.
Microphone
Microphone Active
Turns the microphone on (if greater than zero) or off.
Sensitivity
The volume gain of the microphone.
Directional
If off, the microphone is non-directional and accepts sounds from all directional equally. Otherwise, the microphone is directional and pointed down the negative Z axis. The recording cone and outer cone parameters determine the field of recording. Any sounds within the recording cone have a gain defined by the sensitivity (above). Any sounds outside the outer cone have a gain defined by the outer sensitivity parameter (below). Any sound between the recording cone and the outer cone have a gain that is interpolated between the two sensitivities.
Recording Cone
Defines the angle of the recording cone, measured from the Z axis to the edge of the cone. Setting this to 180 degrees will make a non-directional microphone.
Outer Cone
Defines the dropoff region from the recording cone to the outer cone. If the recording cone is set to 60 degrees and the outer cone is set to 20 degrees, any sounds coming from more than 80 degrees off the Z axis will fall outside the outer cone.
Dropoff
Sets the interpolation type for the dropoff from the recording cone sensitivity to the outer sensitivity.
Dropoff Rate
Increases or decreases the rate of dropoff.
Outer Sensitivity
The gain that is applied to any sounds coming from outside the outer cone.
Filter CHOP
Specifies an optional CHOP that defines the frequency response of the microphone. The filter should be a channel named "absorb", designed by an Acoustic CHOP.
Misc
Set Wireframe Color
Use the specified wireframe color
Wireframe Color
The display color of the object
Viewport Selecting Enabled
Object is capable of being picked in the viewport.
Select Script
Script to run when the object is picked in the viewport. See select scripts .
Cache Object Transform
Caches object transforms once Houdini calculates them. This is especially useful for objects whose world space position is expensive to calculate (such as Sticky objects), and objects at the end of long parenting chains (such as Bones). This option is turned on by default for Sticky and Bone objects.
See the OBJ Caching section of the Houdini Preferences window for how to control the size of the object transform cache.